Class Is In Session

How does that saying go… “you can take the teacher out of teaching, but you can’t take teaching out of the teacher?” Ok, so maybe not exactly, but that’s the way I feel most days. I moved from being a teacher to working for a non-profit 6 years ago, but I still love getting in front of a classroom! These days, my pupils are new moms and my subject is cloth diapering!

I’m not sure how I first came across the idea of cloth diapering, but after a lot of research, I knew that I wanted to do it. I was not cloth diapered as a baby, so when I told my mom about it, she told me I was crazy. So I started telling her about all the benefits and showed her the diapers I planned to use. It didn’t take long to win her over. Several of my friends who are also moms thought I was crazy as well, and I guess that is when my educating began!

The hospital where my daughter was delivered offers weekly classes and check-ins for new moms. While attending those classes with my newborn daughter, I learned about breastfeeding, how to wash her clothes, and how to use the library. That was when a light bulb went on that this was the perfect audience to share my new-found passion of cloth diapering with. After talking with some of the nurses, I was put on the schedule for the next month. I wrote up a hand-out, with pictures, descriptions, instructions, and lots of links to places where moms could get good info. I also bought a sample of each different kind of diaper so that moms could see and feel them.

My first “class” went great and I was thrilled with the reception and questions I got. I was then contacted by an Early Childhood and Family Education (ECFE) coordinator who invited me to speak monthly at her newborn class. From there, I was contacted by Community Education coordinators in several school districts, and another ECFE coordinator. I now do several classes each month with different audiences. It’s a lot of fun, and I’m so proud to share this diapering option with new moms.

I am fortunate to have a very flexible full-time job that allows me to volunteer my time in this way and get my “teaching fix”. If you are interested in sharing cloth diapers with new moms in your area, I would encourage you to reach out to mom’s group organizers, ECFE coordinators, and Community Education directors. They are usually always looking for new ideas and presenters. You don’t have to be an expert, just knowledgeable. Moms love getting advice from other moms!

Ok moms, take your seats! Class is in session!

Bio: Mamie is a full-time working mom of busy, 18-month old Clara. She is a proud cloth diaper advocate who has educated over 200 moms about the benefits of using cloth!

4 comments:

I love teaching anyone who will listen about cloth! I packed my stash away over 2 years ago when DD potty trained but I kept the bin easily accessible so that I could grab it and take it to friends homes whenever they expressed an interest in cloth. And now, we are FINALLY expecting our 2nd (due August 29th) and I can't wait to wrap a brand new little one in fluffy cloth. I'm so glad to be back! 🙂